Frozen Serenity PreHBP version
by Jade Bear
Summary: Draco and Luna may seem like an unlikely couple, but assume nothing. [DM&LL, preHBP version... postHBP version to be posted later]
1. Prologue

Frozen Serenity 

Author's Note: This is the progeny of much too much time spent on Unredeemed.net, discussing how Draco and Luna would be good for each other. I'm Commander of the Draco/Luna ship. ^_^ 

A/N II: You may recognise the first part of the first scene. It's taken from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, (Canadian/UK Ed.) Ch. 38 p. 749-752, and has been tweaked to suit the needs of this fic. I've put it in _Italics_, just in case. 

Disclaimer: As usual, I own none of the characters, names, places, etc. I'm just playing with JKR's world, and making no profit from it. 

  
  
_Draco led the way into the Entrance Hall as usual. He spotted Potter, who had stopped dead in his tracks. He glanced around, checking for signs of teachers then looked back at Harry and said in a low voice, "You're dead, Potter." _

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Funny," he said, "you'd think I'd have stopped walking around…" 

The absolute nerve! The cheek of that scrawny pathetic loser that had put his father in prison! Lucius Malfoy in prison! Draco's face contorted with rage. "You're going to pay," he said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to my father…" 

"Well, I'm terrified now," said Harry sarcastically. "I s'pose Lord Voldemort's just a warm-up act compared to you three – what's the matter? Draco had paled at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "He's a mate of your dad, isn't he? Not scared of him, are you?" 

"You think you're such a big man, Potter," he said advancing now, with Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. "You wait. I'll have you. You can't land my father in prison-" 

"I thought I just had." said Harry. 

"The Dementors have left Azkaban," he said quietly. "Dad and the others'll be out in no time…" 

"Yeah, I expect they will." Said Harry. "Still, at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now-" 

Draco's hand flew towards his wand, but Harry was too quick for him; he had drawn his own wand before Draco's fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes. 

"Potter!" 

The voice rang across the Entrance Hall. Snape had emerged from the staircase leading down to his office and at sight of him Draco felt a rush of relief. 

"What are you doing, Potter?" asked Snape as coldly as ever, as he strode over to the four of them. 

"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir." Said Harry fiercely. 

Snape stared at him. 

"Put that wand away at once," he said curtly, "ten points from Gryff-" Snape looked towards the giant hourglasses on the walls and smiled. 

"Ah. I see that there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hourglass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to-" 

"Add some more?" 

Professor McGonagall had just stumped up the stone steps into the castle; she was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked quite well. 

"Professor McGonagall!" exclaimed Snape, striding forwards. "Out of St. Mungo's, I see!" 

"Yes, Professor Snape," said Professor McGonagall, shrugging off her travelling cloak, "I'm quite as good as new. You two – Crabbe – Goyle-" She beckoned them forwards imperiously and they came, shuffling their feet. "Here," she said as she thrust her carpetbag into Crabbe's chest and her cloak into Goyle's, "take these up to my office for me." 

They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase. 

"Right then," said Professor McGonagall, looking up at the hourglasses on the wall. "Well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?" 

"What?" Snapped Snape, though Harry knew he had heard perfectly well. "Oh – well – I suppose…" 

"So that's fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom and Miss Granger." Said Professor McGonagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor's hourglass as she spoke. "Oh – and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose," she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw's glass. "Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr. Potter, I think, Professor Snape – so there we are…" 

A few rubies retreated into the upper bulb, leaving a respectable amount below nevertheless. 

"Well, Potter, Malfoy, I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this." Professor McGonagall continued briskly. Harry thrust his wand back inside his robes and headed straight for the front doors without another glance. Draco turned and went up the marble staircase, not caring where he was going but not wanting to be around Snape or McGonagall any longer. 

The nerve of McGonagall! But what could you expect from the Head of a House of morons? Stupid Potter... Who did he think he was? Dumbledore's pet student, a seeker whom he had never defeated, and everyone's bloody hero that's what. Bloody perfect Potter with his bloody perfect life! 

"Nobody's life is perfect" 

"What? Who said that?" Draco asked. 

"I did," replied a girl who was taping up a poster of some sort. "You just said that Harry had a perfect life, and I informed you that he doesn't." she explained as she smoothed out the last piece of tape. Draco just stared at her, dumbfounded. 

She turned around and smiled dreamily at him. "How did you know what I was thinking?" 

"You were thinking out loud, and I overheard you." She paused and tilted her head a bit to the side and added "You know Draco, you aren't a git. You're just another Stubby Boardman." 

"I was NOT talking to myself! Who in Merlin's name is Stubby Boardman?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. If it were possible for her eyes to look more surprised, they had managed to achieve it at that moment. 

"Stubby Boardman is the singer of The Hobgoblins, who everyone thinks is a escaped prisoner Sirius Black. There's no one around with the last name Black. It was in my father's magazine. You mean you didn't read that article?" 

It was Draco's turn to look surprised again. "No. You're a bit mad, aren't you? All the wizards of the Black family are dead. The witches married into other families, like my mother did. She was a Black before she became a Malfoy." What witch wouldn't know the genealogy of all the major wizarding families? Didn't her tutor teach her anything? "Hang on, what do you mean I'm not a git? Who said I was a git?" He asked indignantly. 

"Ronald. He always calls you things like that. It doesn't matter. Some people call me Loony Lovegood." With that, she walked off, leaving Draco with his mouth hanging open. 

No wonder they called her Loony. That girl was off her rocker. Stubby Boardman is really Sirius Black? He actually chuckled out loud at that one. As he turned to leave, he caught sight of the poster she had put up. He walked up to it, intending to rip it down if it was for some stupid party or some other freak gathering. He saw that it was asking for the return of her possessions which had 'gone missing', and the list of them below it. For a second, he almost felt sorry for her. He shook his head. What was he thinking? She was a freak, and should be treated as such. He walked off to the Slytherin common room plotting what to do to Potter on the train back to London. 

A/N III: Thanks to my beta (and Captain of the Draco/Luna ship), jesabelle who got this back to me rather quickly, even with a hectic life. *Pounce hugglez Char. * 


	2. Restless

Chapter 1 ~ "Restless"  
Disclaimer: As usual, I own none of the characters, names, places, etc. I'm just playing with JKR's world, and making no profit from it.   
"I'm sorry, Miss Lovegood. Your father had to leave unexpectedly, and he said to tell you that he wouldn't be back until about five-," explained his secretary.  
  
"That's alright. I'll come back later," replied Luna before she picked up her umbrella and waterproof cloak from the cloakroom on her way out of _The Quibbler's_ London office.  
  
She stepped out into the downpour outside, not even bothering to open her umbrella. She had six hours to kill, so she wandered aimlessly out of Inconvention Alley. She passed by shops with colourful window displays hidden by fogged up windows, pubs serving warm butterbeer and quaint inns offering a dry place to come in out of the rain but didn't see any of it. She turned down into a less crowded street, and looked around for a place to sit.  
  
There was one about ten shops down, which had a large overhang sheltering it. Luna walked up to the bench and saw that it had a notice spellotaped to it. 'Wet Paint!' The paint _looked_ dry enough. She reached out her hand to touch the seat and found a layer of emerald green paint on her palm when she lifted it off.  
  
"That Entrancing Enchantment gets everyone at _least_ once. We have some more powerful ones in our spell books, if you'd care to come inside" a saleswizard informed her. Now curious, she followed him into the shop, where he turned around and said, "they're in the back room, we just got in a new shipment because they had all sold out," before heading through a doorway behind the counter. Luna's eyes wandered over a necklace made out of some pearlescent jewels as she remembered the day that Professor Lockhart had mentioned that Professor Flitwick was quite proficient at Entrancing Enchantment. That was the day that she had sent Harry a singing valentine, thinking he needed a good laugh. Strangely enough, he hadn't found it amusing at all. It had been a bit disappointing, really. She had just begun to ponder why when the bell on the door tinkled.  
  
Luna turned around and saw two familiar faces. One was quite giddy and the other was extremely bored. Luna smiled.  
  
"Ugh! They just let anyone in here, don't they Draco? What ARE you grinning at, Lovegood?" asked Pansy Parkinson rather haughtily.  
  
"Nothing in particular," she replied as she turned back towards the counter, and the saleswizard reappeared with three books in hand.  
  
"Sorry to keep you waiting Miss, but the box these were in had been shelved incorrectly," he apologised as he handed her the books. "There you are, everything we have on Entrancing Enchantments."  
  
"That's alri-" she tried to reply before being interrupted.  
  
"Entrancing Enchantments? You're looking at Entrancing Enchantments? You can't snag Longbottom on your own? Even I could do that!" Pansy exclaimed before she and Draco burst out laughing.  
  
Pansy was still gasping for breath when Draco said tauntingly "You should be careful though. Don't want anything to happen when you're experimenting, do you?"  
  
Luna plunked a galleon down cheerfully on the countertop, placed the books in her Bottomless Bag and eventually drifted out of the shop.  
  
The rain was pouring down in sheets now, and she staggered a bit as she tried to look for Gringott's, easily the most visible landmark in Diagon Alley. After about half an hour she finally spotted the large white building and made her way down a narrow passageway behind it. The passage opened onto a gloomy fenced- in courtyard, magically expanded to contain all the graves of witches and wizards from England. Luna was able to spot her mother's grave immediately. Her tombstone was a shimmering astroglobe with each planet made of quartz and a wand on top of a spell book where the sun should be. Luna had been the one to find the charm to make the planets cast a soft glow as they did now. She knelt down next to the tombstone like she normally did, and yet again read the inscription: _Diana Eulalia Lovegood, Memorium Eorum Retinibamus. Born: February 10th, 1940. Died: July 3rd, 1990._  
  
Then, she opened up her Moon Phase Umbrella (which was showing a waning moon at the moment) and it hovered above her head. She wanted to read near her mum, and couldn't unless she placed an Impervius Charm on her book. However, being the summer holidays she couldn't perform any magic. After a minute or so, she fished out one of the books she had just purchased out of her Bottomless Bag and began to read it.  
  
Some time must have passed before she finally finished the book and stored it in her bag safely, because when she looked up she saw that the quartz Earth had done a quarter turn on its axis. She stretched her stiff muscles and got up before stowing away her umbrella because the rain had finally stopped. As her eyes were now well adjusted to the dim light, she spotted a lone figure on the other side of the graveyard straight away.  
  
Luna glided silently over the pebbled path towards the wizard, thinking that it was her father come to meet her to finally go over their travel arrangements for their trip to Sweden in August. However, as she got a bit nearer, she could tell that he had his back to her and was obviously not her father. The figure took something out of his cloak and placed it on a head marker, before solemnly exiting the graveyard. Luna was even more curious, so she went up to the grave and read the head marker: _Trisana Malfoy. Born: April 21st, 1978. Died: June 30th, 1987._ She was only nine when she died. Wait a minute, Malfoy? As in related to Draco Malfoy? She bent down and picked up what he had placed there. It was a pale green rose. A petal fell off into her palm with the paint on it. She had to be related to Draco. That had to be him that put the rose there, his father was locked up in Azkaban, and she had just seen Draco a few hours before in that shop. Was Trisana his sister?  
  
Luna put the rose back where she had found it and pocketed the petal before she too, left the graveyard.  
**A/N:** I made up the names of two things in this chapter. 10 points to the people who can tell me which ones. Thanks again to my beta, jesabelle.  
  
*Hands everyone who has read this a chocolate Draco.*  
  
This will probably be my last update before Christmas. I've got final exams and loads of company on Christmas Day to prepare for. But hopefully I'll put something out right after, if I have time. Okay?  
  



	3. Presence

Frozen Serenity

Chapter 2 ~ "Presence"

Disclaimer: As usual, I own none of the characters, names, places, etc. I'm just playing with JKR's world, and making no profit from it. 

This pain was unbearable. It was excruciating and unending.  
  
"I cannot believe Mandy Brocklehurst just wore robes from Gladrags to my party! You'd think a Ravenclaw would have enough sense to wear something custom-made to the Parkinson estate,." droned Pansy.  
  
Draco silently thanked the storm, which was drowning out most of what Pansy was saying. He would be shopping with Blaise in Diagon Alley instead, if he hadn't been neglecting Pansy so much lately. Narcissa had stressed that he shouldn't avoid the girl that she and his father had deemed a suitable match for him. However, this time of year he didn't want to do much socialising.  
  
"…Then Millicent broke another of Mother's vases." Pansy continued, "Honestly, didn't her parents make her take lessons in how to behave like a lady? That girl is about as graceful as a drunken giant. No, wait. She's as graceful as that atrocity that they call Grounds Keeper and teacher. Are you listening, Draco?" Pansy asked impatiently.  
  
Draco took a second to recall what she had been talking about.  
  
"Yes, of course I am. You were talking about that big oaf, Hagrid." he replied as quickly as he could, so as not to give her the impression he was ignoring her again.  
  
Pansy seemed to be placated. She went back to going on and on about things that didn't matter and never would.  
  
"Oh, look! It's that shop I like. Come on Draco, let's go in and look around."  
  
Hoping to hear someone other than Pansy talk, he switched the umbrella he was holding to his left hand, and opened the door to the shop with his right. Pansy entered the building first. She was quite giddy and giggly. Draco took a quick glance around him and saw why. The display closest to him was of lipsticks that were 'Always the prefect shade of the perfect colour to attract the perfect man.'  
  
"Ugh! They just let anyone in here, don't they Draco? What ARE you grinning at, Lovegood?" asked Pansy.  
  
Draco looked up from the display to see Luna smiling at him before she said "Nothing in particular." and turned away.  
  
The saleswizard emerged out of the back room carrying some books. "Sorry to keep you waiting Miss, but the box these were in had been shelved incorrectly," he apologised as he handed them to her. "There you are, everything we have on Entrancing Enchantments."  
  
Entrancing Enchantments?  
  
Luna took the books from the wizard as Pansy exclaimed "Entrancing Enchantments? You're looking at Entrancing Enchantments? You can't snag Longbottom on your own? Anyone could do that!" Both she and Draco burst out laughing.  
  
Wasn't it Weasley that she fancied, though? Why anyone was attracted to that filth? Then again, she wasn't exactly right in the head. Sirius Black was dead. He was not the lead singer of some group. _You know Draco; you aren't a git…_ Maybe she was right about some things, but that did not make up for the fact that she had seen his father being arrested and taken to Azkaban. She had gone with Potter to the Ministry. A wave of anger washed over him. Pansy was still gasping for air when he said, "You should be careful though. Don't want anything to happen when you're experimenting, do you?" He had hoped to see a hurt look on her face, or an angry one like Potter's after the last Quidditch game he had played in before getting banned.  
  
There was nothing, just like every other time he had tried to coax a reaction out of her. She just paid for the books, placed them in her bag and drifted dreamily out of the shop without any further acknowledgement of his presence. Another wave of emotion washed over him, this time, fury. How dare she? Everyone should fear the Malfoys; even those select few that were suitable enough to be graced with their company. He would get a reaction out of her yet, but not now. He had to stay with Pansy long enough to satisfy his mother before he could go after Luna. Fuming inwardly, he put up with Pansy for a few hours before he parted with her and went to the graveyard.  
  
The whole reason for this trip was so he could go to Trisana's grave. He'd go looking for Luna after. He had stupidly lent his umbrella to Pansy, so he was soaked by the time the rain finally stopped.  
  
He walked up to his favourite cousin's grave. She had been the one who had taught him how to fly. They had played Quidditch together for hours. He had always been able to talk to her and ask her any question he wanted. There were so many questions running through his head, so many things he wanted so desperately to ask someone. He couldn't ask Trisana anymore, because she was gone. He was alone. He placed a Slytherin green rose on her tombstone before he left the graveyard, his mind far from anything but memories of a once happy childhood.  
  
A/N: Props to Sazii, Dawniky, and Star Katt for getting the names that I made up right. I suppose I should have been more specific, though. I made up the name of one object (Moon Phase Umbrella), one place (Inconvention Alley), and two character names (Trisana Malfoy and Diana Eulalia Lovegood). I also want to thank everyone who's been supportive of this fic and this ship. It means a lot to me. A thank you goes out as always, to my beta Jesabelle, who ROX.  
  
A/N II: I meant to have this as part of chapter one, but I didn't want to keep you waiting until I finished everything. The next chapter will have new events, I promise. I'm in the process of typing it up, so that'll be out in the next week or two if we all keep our fingers crossed. Well… maybe I shouldn't. It'd be hard to type like that. ^_^  
  
A/N III: I hate it when author's put in ten million author's notes, but it couldn't be helped this time. My Draco/Luna site is here. There is a Luna layout, and a Draco layout to chose from. Enjoy. :)  
  



	4. Wrath

Frozen Serenity 

Chapter 3 "Wrath"

Disclaimer: As usual, I own none of the characters, names, places, etc. I'm just playing with JKR's world, and making no profit from it. 

There she was again, smiling like always. This time, her blonde hair wasn't done up and it fell to the floor. Its highlights glinted in the soft moonlight. She looked so happy. Her hazel eyes glanced behind her as Diana beckoned for her daughter to follow her. Luna always followed in her mother's footsteps, and tonight was no exception. 

They entered a garden with a sweet smell hanging in the air. There were fairies lighting up the pathways, and a gentle breeze played with the hem of her nightgown. Then, all of a sudden, the hedges began to grow until Luna could only see the stars twinkling above. It was a maze just like the one from that tournament... They got to the centre of the maze after getting past quite a few obstacles. There was an archway visible. The veil hanging from it fluttered in an unseen wind. 

"Just a little further..." her mother whispered. Luna walked up to the archway and heard the voices again, only this time they were much louder. Diana began to walk through the archway. Luna tried to follow her, but the archway just got further away, like always. 

Luna woke up and reached over onto the nightstand next to her bed. After a minute of blindly groping in the dark, she realised that someone had taken her mother's amethyst necklace that she had Transfigured to look like butterbeer corks so no one would want it. Diana had placed a Nightmare Repelling Charm on it, and let her wear it when she was little and had reoccurring bad dreams. Luna's chest constricted a little as she pulled her mother's spell book out from underneath her pillow. It was the only other thing she had of her mother's. She clutched it to her like a child clutching a teddy bear, and eventually fell back to sleep. 

_You used to captivate my by your resonating light, but now I'm bound by the life you left behind. Your face haunts my once pleasant dreams; your voice has chased away all the sanity in me._

The letter to her mother went on like that for an entire piece of parchment. She had written it during her first year. She hadn't been terribly happy at the time... 

She folded the parchment so that it would fly, opened the dormitory window and threw it outside. She hoped to get rid of those feelings along with it. 

"What're you doing now, Luna?" asked one of her year mates. 

"I thought I saw a Blibbering Humdinger fly past just now." Luna replied. 

"Aren't those things supposed to live _underground_?" 

"Yes, you're right. It couldn't have been one then," said Luna, while thinking how odd it was that the other girl had actually read the article about Humdingers in The Quibbler. She picked up her backpack and headed out of Ravenclaw Tower, eventually ending up in the Great Hall in time for breakfast. 

Because a certain Slytherin with a baboon's backside for a face had accidentally flooded Greenhouse three, the fifth year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors had to work in Greenhouse eight. It was where some magical varieties of Muggle plants were. Their task was to take the cups and saucers off the vines, wrap them in tissue paper, and gently place them in boxes. Luna had always wondered where Hogwarts got all its matching dishes. 

There was a bit of an incident when Colin Creevy had got too close to one of the other plants. A Hungarian Horntail Snapdragon set his glove on fire with a burst of flame from its mouth. Luckily, Ginny put it out with a quick Watering Charm. Other than that, the class passed rather smoothly. 

Luna was the last out of the greenhouse as usual, and saw the rest of the class walking back into the castle. She began to slowly make her way back as well. It was then that she saw someone stoop down and pick something up off the grass. It appeared to be Draco. She wondered why he would suddenly have an interest in picking up litter, as Malfoys don't seem to want to get their hands dirty. Professor Sprout, who came up behind her and began to tell her what sorts of books she should look for to do the essay that she had just assigned, interrupted her thoughts. 

"Be sure to practise your Silencing Charms before next class. You should have them down by then, as it'll be the last class we spend on them," Flitwick informed the class over the noise of books and quills being shoved hastily into bags. Luna wasn't worried about being able to make a parrot quiet. 

Instead of dropping her bag off in her dorm before supper, Luna headed to the library to search for a book for Herbology. The essay was fairly short (only two rolls of parchment), but it was due in a week. She wanted to get it out of the way as soon as possible. She managed to find a book about literal aquatic plants (which was in Mermish, but she had a Mermish/English dictionary), but couldn't find anything about terrestrial ones before her stomach started making itself heard. 

"Honestly, why _do_ you get paid? You never help any of us students!" an impatient vice asked rather loudly. 

"Mr. Malfoy, if you continue to disrupt the other students by shouting, I will ask you to leave the library," Madam Pince replied much more quietly. 

As Luna walked out of the aisle she was in, she saw the librarian return to her desk and snap at a first year (who just wanted to check out a book) so abruptly that the younger girl broke into hysterics and ran out. 

Draco was scowling nearby as he searched through the index of a book. Without a second thought, Luna walked over to him. "You'll catch more doxies with honey." 

Draco's scowl deepened as he looked up from his book and saw whom it was. "What gibberish are you spouting off now, Lovegood?" 

Totally unphased, she repeated herself. 

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, raising his voice again. Luna plopped down onto a chair across the table from him. 

"What are you doing? I don't want you to sit there. I _don't_ want to talk to you. Go away, you freak!" 

"Firstly, people will be more likely to do something that you want if you ask them politely. Secondly, I'm sitting on this chair, and third, you're going to incur Madam Pince's wrath if you don't lower your voice. She's heading in this direction." Luna replied serenely as she took her wand out of her sleeve. 

Draco opened his mouth to retort angrily, but Luna was too fast for him. 

"Silencio!" Luna's Silencing Charm worked perfectly, and all Draco was able to do was glare. She smiled sweetly at him, and wondered if he had been subject to one too many Sonorus Charms, and that was why he couldn't help but to raise his voice. Luna put her wand behind her ear, and walked over to Madam Pince (who was shelving books nearby using a type of Sorting Charm) and asked her if she could sign out her book. When she walked back through the library, Draco's table was empty. He had probably gone down to supper. She decided to follow suit. 

Luna didn't see Draco again until the next week when she left Potions. He came storming up to her in a corridor that was empty except for themselves and a suit of armour. His normally cold grey eyes were ablaze. 

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to ask someone to do the Silencing Counter-charm when you can't speak?" 

Luna stayed silent, trying not to burst out laughing at the mental image of Draco Malfoy flailing his arms about and chasing people around the Slytherin common room trying to get them to remove the charm. 

"You think it's funny, do you? Well you won't be laughing when your Head of House finds you. He's the one who performed the counter-charm!" 

Professor Flitwick had asked her to help him put all the animals they had Silenced back in their cages a week ago. Now she knew why. It had been her punishment. 

"Hello! Are you listening?" Draco asked as he waved his hand in front of her face. 

"Do cats like you, Draco?" 

"What?" he asked. 

ROWR! Mrs. Norris had been sniffing the back of Draco's leg, and he brought his foot down on her paw when he took a step back from Luna in surprise. The cat ran off limping. 

"It seems she doesn't like you anymore. I suppose Mr. Filch will be along shortly. I have some runes to translate for Monday..." she turned to leave, but Draco had his wand pointed at her. 

"You're not going anywhere, Lovegood. You need to pay for making me look like a fool. As if Flitwick would ever really punish you, he's such a soft touch. Tarant-" 

Luna grabbed her wand, pointed it at Draco and yelled "Protego!" just in time. His jinx bounced off her shield, and his legs began to jerk in different directions, doing an odd sort of jig. She stood still in shock, as that was the first time she had ever been able to manage that spell. 

"Aha! Caught in the act!" yelled Filch as he ran up to them, carrying Mrs. Norris in his arms and wheezing horribly. "Magic isn't allowed in the corridors! Detention, Lovegood," Luna dropped her wand arm, "Now, which one of these delinquents hurt my sweet?" Mrs. Norris meowed in Draco's direction. "A week of detentions, Malfoy." Draco's flushed face blanched. 

"I've got Quidditch tryouts to conduct this week, I'm the captain! I can't have detention!" he exclaimed indignantly, while his legs continued to twitch out of his control. 

"You should have thought about that before attacking my cat!" Filch replied, stroking Mrs. Norris' head. 

Luna pointed her wand at Draco again, and performed the counter-jinx. Draco's feet stopped and he leaned against the wall for support. Filch turned to her and said, "You've just got yourself a full week of detentions as well. You can join Mr. Malfoy, starting tonight. I've been meaning to organise my files since those twins put an Unarrangement Hex on the cabinets. Be at my office at eight." He walked away, still cradling Mrs. Norris to his chest. 

Luna turned her head back to face Draco, and saw a mixture of triumph and curiosity in his eyes. 

"That was stupid of you, Lovegood. You could have just had detention for one night." He said, smirking. 

She paused a bit before replying. "I was waiting for Mr. Filch to take the hex off you. I think he wanted you to stay like that, though. So when he didn't take it off, I decided to..." 

"How would a Squib be able to take a hex off me?" 

Since when was Mr. Filch a Squib? She had heard Professor Umbridge tell Mr. Filch not to use a Vanishing Charm on the fireworks last year because it made them worse. Mr. Filch had agreed with her. 

"Don't you know anything of importance, Lovegood?" he asked in response to her silence. 

"Yes, I know how to turn your ears into Kumquats. I know how to fly on a Thestral. I know how to heal all the bones in your hands and feet if they get broken. I can preserve flowers by changing them into stone; I know how to produce a Patronus. I know-" he cut her off before she could list any more things. 

"I said things of importance. Everyone should know who is pureblood or not. You should know who to associate with, and the appropriate behaviour to engage in when in their company." 

He sounded like he had rehearsed that before. She tilted her head to the side slightly, and bit her lip. A sudden thought came to her, that he had probably had to repeat that spiel about correct behaviour many times. 

"Did your father teach you that?" she inquired, while assuming that he had been home schooled, instead of going to a Muggle school before Hogwarts. Lucius Malfoy didn't seem to like Muggles much... 

"My father? No. I learned that from personal experience... and the private tutor father hired because he was too busy with... Why am I standing here telling you this? Correct behaviour should be second nature to you now. If you behaved the way you should, then I wouldn't have detention. This is all your fault! You should have pureblood pride! The Weasels are dirtying what little reputation you have left with their filth." He shook his head in frustration. "I've got more important people to talk to, namely anyone." He began to walk away, and before he could turn the corner, Luna called out to him. 

"See you later, then!" 

Speaking to someone as if they had been Kissed was a gross breach of etiquette. Maybe _she_ should teach him how to behave correctly.   
  
Luna's Notes: Jade would like to thank jesabelle for betaing, JKR for creating the HP universe, and The Morning Starr for giving her the idea for my notes and Draco's. The body of the letter I wrote to my mom are from Evanesence's song entitled "My Immortal". 

Draco's Notes: I have half a mind to HEX Jade into tomorrow. No way would that twiggy Ravenclaw freak ever be able to out-duel me (twice!). If I had my way, she'd be laying comatose in the Hospital Wing. 


	5. Scars

"Frozen Serenity"

Chapter Four Scars

Disclaimer: As usual, I own none of the characters, names, places, etc. I'm just playing with JKR's world, and making no profit from it.

His ears were ringing. Those damn teammates of his must be talking about him. It wasn't his fault that he had detention! Filch had been extra ornery ever since Dumbledore came back. At least he had detention with Lovegood. He could take his frustration out on her. Draco began to brainstorm ideas of ways to harass her as he walked to Filch's office. A particularly nasty idea caused him to smirk as he arrived at his destination.

Filch was already standing outside, looking rather eager. Usually that wasn't a good sign, and Draco's smirk faded from his face.

"Good, now we just need the girl and then you can get started." He got a decidedly evil looking grin on his face. Draco began to panic slightly.

"Good evening, Draco," the ethereal Ravenclaw greeted him. Draco jumped, not having heard her walk up. Did she glide along the floor?

"Put everything in alphabetical order. No magic allowed. I've got an alarm set up if you try to use any kind of cleaning or filing spell," Filch explained as he shoved the two students inside his office. "I'll be back in three hours to see if you've finished." He called through the thick door.

Draco had never been in Filch's office before. It reeked of something fishy. There was a desk and two chairs, some filing cabinets and chains hung from the ceiling that looked as though they were brand new. Apparently, Filch hadn't been lying about wanting the old punishments back…

Lovegood had already started taking files out of one of the top cabinets, and had them precariously balanced on the top of her head. He pointed his wand at her, and the files tumbled off her head and papers flew everywhere.

She looked down at them and without even blinking once and began to pick them up again. This time, she only picked up a handful and made several trips to the desk and back. Draco continued to stand there and watch her as his frustration grew.

"Why don't you react like a normal person?"

"I react the way _I_ react. There is no such thing as a normal person, because everyone is different. So how could I possibly react like a normal person when a normal person doesn't exist?" she replied while beginning to sort the files neatly into piles.

He walked up to her and sneered, "Maybe if you say that enough times, you'll actually believe it. Your theories belong in a bin. Much like the Weasleys. That could be why you get along so well with them."

Lovegood slowly raised her head and met his gaze. There was something in her eyes that he couldn't read. He frowned. This girl was so aggravating! Why didn't she get angry or sad? What was her problem? She went back to sorting the files after a minute, ignoring him once again.

"Aren't you even going to ask me to help you with those files?"

"Would you actually help me if I asked you to? Or would you just ignore your upbringing as a gentleman? You can be extremely rude at times."

He made a noise of disbelief. "Me? Rude? When? When have I been rude to anyone?"

"Just now, when I greeted you in the corridor and you didn't greet me back. When you didn't reply when I said 'see you later' this afternoon. When you called me a freak. When you told me I knew nothing of importance and I wasn't important. When you were yelling at Madam Pince…"

"First of all, I don't yell. Second, I was just telling you the truth. You don't know anything of importance, and you're not normal so of course you're a freak."

"A gentleman would _teach_ someone if they actually did know nothing of importance, instead of just informing them." She paused from her task and closed her eyes for a moment. "Will you help me to file these into the correct places, Draco Malfoy?"

She sounded oddly formal. Mind you, she always sounded _oddly_ everything… He supposed that Filch wouldn't let them leave until they had finished putting everything back in order. It would be faster if he did some of the work… He might be able to go to the last part of the Quidditch tryouts if they finished quickly.

"Yes, I will help you, Luna Lovegood," he said half sarcastically.

He pointed his wand at a few jumbled stacks of paper laying on top of a cabinet and was about to perform a Levitation Charm on them, when a hand grabbed his arm. It was ice cold.

"No more magic. Mr. Filch may have only told us about the alarms he had for cleaning and filing. There might be other ones we don't know about."

Once he got over the shock of her frigid hand, he begrudgingly admitted to himself that she was probably right. Bloody Ravenclaws. He stuffed his wand in his pocket and picked up about ten files. He turned to walk over to the desk, and Lovegood placed about fifty more in his arms. He staggered slightly under the weight of them. Once he managed to finally make it to the desk, he dropped them as quickly as possible. His arms and back were aching. The nerve of her! Making him carry that much! He was about to tell her off, when she dumped the same amount of files on the desk, and sat down on one of the chairs with a grin on her face.

"You're supposed to lift with your legs, not your back. We should sort this bit out first, then tackle the next drawer."

"You tackle it. I'm still recovering."

"I could give you a massage if you wanted. That way we could get down to business."

He stared at her incredulously. "Excuse me?"

"On second thought, I have a pain killing potion in my back pack. It's mainly used for bad headaches, but I think it'll do. Too bad it wasn't a Peppy Potion, then you'd be able to work and be enjoyable to be around." Luna replied, while fishing out a plum-coloured bottle out of her bag. She handed it to him.

He just looked at it in his hand. How could he be sure that it wasn't some other potion? Something that would embarrass him, surely. She seemed to want to do that kind of thing. Plus, she was holding a grudge about him being 'rude' to her. He had just firmly made up his mind not to take the stopper out, when she piped up.

"That isn't poison or anything, you know. You can drink it."

He pulled the cork out of the bottleneck, and sniffed it. The potion smelled so strongly of black pepper, that he sneezed.

"It's black pepper flavoured, by the way." Luna said, staring at him again. "Some people don't like it that much. They say it burns their throat."

This made him lose his temper. He threw the bottle at the wall, where it shattered.

"Can't you do anything normally? You can't have a normal conversation, you can't carry papers normally, and you can't even carry a decent flavoured pain relief potion with you! Where the hell did you get that vile thing?"

Luna didn't even blink at his shouting. "I told you what I think about being normal. I like black pepper, so I made that potion taste like it. Now if you don't mind, we have some filing to do…"

"You aren't just going to brush me off that easily this time, Lovegood! I've had enough of your… uniqueness to last me a lifetime! It was time I taught you not to mess with a Malfoy!" He took out his wand again and pointed it straight at her.

She just sat there calmly, with her hands on her lap. This just caused him to become even more furious at her. He needed to get a reaction out of her, anything. Nothing he ever did seemed to get any reaction he wanted, except for her continued loonyness. He stepped closer to her, and tried to look for a weak spot… anything. Her face had a dreamy expression on it as usual. Her cork necklace was gone, which was a minor plus. Those shiny orbs of hers were open in that shocked look they always had, but there were dark circles under her eyes that she hadn't totally managed to hide. Why, if she didn't bother to brush her hair, did she try to get rid of circles under her eyes? So the girl who didn't want to be normal cared about her appearance, and that was hypocritical. He decided to see if she was hiding any other things with Concealing Charms. He raised his wand to her face, and said "_Finite incantatem_."

Her eyes went even wider than before. A small "Oh no." escaped her lips. One of the hands that had been in her lap flew up to her cheek, in an attempt to hide the scar of a huge gash there, but it was too late. He had already seen it.

"What is that from?"

She remained silent, and turned her back to him. He could hear her muttering the charms to hide her scar. He had felt pity for her last year, when he found out that she had to search for her things, but now that feeling intensified. If she had been a Slytherin, he might have thought of consoling her. But she wasn't. She was just a Ravenclaw, a loony Ravenclaw. He had finally got a reaction out of her. He grinned.

"So, for a girl who doesn't care about being normal, you sure do put on quite a few Concealing Charms. I guess you're just as vain as the next girl."

"I'm Loony Lovegood and no one cares what I look like. Maybe I shouldn't worry about putting the charms on anymore…"

"Oh, and make the rest of us suffer through having to see that hideous thing on your face all the time? I suggest you keep putting them on. We've already got one freak with a scar running around this school. We don't need another one." Draco had the distinct impression he was going too far, but he couldn't help himself, like always. "Now I see why you and Potter get along. You can compare your battle wounds. His from the Dark Lord, and yours from your useless mother!" he sneered at her.

"My mother was not useless." Luna said all of a sudden, her voice shaking slightly.

"Oh really! Then what was she, exactly? I don't call blowing yourself up useful!"

"She didn't blow herself up! It was the spell she was working on… it backfired… but it wasn't supposed to… according to her notes…" Luna turned around and looked him straight in the eye. He had expected her to be crying, but she wasn't. She was looking dottier than he had ever thought humanly possible. "You know, I wanted to believe you were just another Stubby Boardman, but maybe Ronald was right. Maybe you are just a git."

She picked up her bag, and made as if she was going to leave, but he blocked the door.

"You think that I'm going to let you leave without finishing this mess?"

She turned to the desk, pointed her wand at the files, and they flew to their correct place. There was a flurry of papers and folders for a minute, then all the drawers closed and the office was clean again. No alarm bells went off, but that didn't mean there hadn't been a silent alarm. He became extremely aggravated, but she brushed past him and whipped open the door, leaving him standing there alone. He decided to head back to the Slytherin common room. The Quidditch tryouts were still being held, and he didn't want to stick around and be the one to take the blame from Filch for using magic to clean.

The night breeze plucked at her robes and hair, but Luna didn't mind. It helped to calm her. She was on top of the North tower, the tallest one in Hogwarts. She always came up there to think and be alone.

It was one thing to be in the middle of her common room with the latest copy of The Quibbler placed strategically in front of her face so she could lose herself in her thoughts. No one ever came up to talk to her in the common room. Pretty much everyone in her House ignored her all the time. She had become used to it. Being in a crowded room and being alone, was nothing to being actually alone. She preferred it the latter way.

Tonight, the sky was fairly clear, and the moon was almost full. She could clearly see several of the largest craters, including the Sea of Serenity (or _Mare Serenitas_, as it was known in Latin). She loved to stare at the moon. It made her feel at peace like nothing else could, probably because she felt closer to her mother that way. After all, Diana was the moon goddess.

She held up her hand to her cheek. "I'm afraid I let him see more than this scar today… Mother; please help me, wherever you are! Please give me strength to continue! He's going to make my life miserable, even though I've always tried to help him. Before you died, there was a party and he had put Every Flavour Beans in one of the puddings as a joke. He got all the girls to try, and they all hated it. Draco would have got into such trouble with Lucius, but I made sure to tell his parents that I loved the pudding. I actually did enjoy it though, so I wasn't lying. There had been black pepper and grass-flavoured beans in my slice, which I love. Most people find them disgusting… Every year, I get Dad to make a pudding just like it for when I get home for the holidays. I miss the puddings you used to make, with strawberries and peaches and chocolate… I miss you so much, mum. I love you. Good Night." She whispered.

She started to head back towards the door to the stairs, when she heard someone whisper her name. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the light on the top of the tower, and she saw the outline of a skinny boy standing in front of her.

"Harry?"

"I saw you were headed this way, and I thought I'd help you get back to your common room before Filch catches you out of bed." He explained as he pointed to the Map he had in his hand. It was fascinating, really. A good piece of spellmanship. She could see her dot labelled 'Luna Lovegood' next to the dot labelled 'Harry Potter'. Another dot, labelled 'Argus Filch' was roaming around in the dungeon corridors.

"Well, it seems he's down in the dungeons. We don't have to worry about him." She looked up into Harry's face, and saw something in his eyes. "Would you like to sit and chat for a bit?"

"If you don't mind. The Gryffindor common room isn't exactly the happiest place to be right now, with Hermione and Ron shouting at each other every second. I'm not entirely sure what this row is about, and I don't think I want to know." Harry explained, while sitting down on the floor with his back against the tower wall. He kept his Invisibility Cloak and map in his lap, and continued to watch the tiny-labelled dots for each person in the castle.

Luna sat down beside him.

"I just ran into Dobby, and it seems as though Hermione hasn't given up making clothes for the House Elves and putting them out. Dobby is the only one who cleans our tower now."

"Dobby is rather interesting, but would you like to talk about something else?" she asked him, after deciding that he hadn't come all the way up here to talk about a house elf. It took him a few minutes before he spoke again.

"Well… I was wondering about what you said last year. You said that you would see your mother again. How can you be so sure? I mean, I know you were sure we weren't crazy because we could see Thestrals even before Hagrid taught us about them, but you could have read about them in a book or The Quibbler. Will I ever see my parents and Godfather ever again?"

"I believe that I'll see Mum again sometimes just because it's too hard to believe that anything else will happen. But whenever I see the moon, it's like she's watching over me, bathing me in her bright white light and protecting me from the darkness. I'm sure there's some place that you go to or activity that you do that makes you feel closer you the people you've lost. Maybe you should do it more often. It makes it easier"

Suddenly, Harry's dark and lonely expression changed and he got a mischievous sparkle in his eye. "You're right, come on. Let's go raid the kitchens!" he exclaimed, grabbed her arm and pulled her underneath his Invisibility Cloak before hurrying over to the stairs.

They made it to the kitchens without incident. Harry pulled the Cloak off them, and she was instantly cooler. It had become quite stuffy under the Cloak while they had been walking. She took a few deep breaths of crisp, fresh air and looked around.

Apparently, the House Elves went to sleep after midnight. There was no one in the kitchens except the two of them. Harry began looking in the cupboards for snacks.

"I'm starved. I missed supper today because of Quidditch tryouts."

"I missed it too, as I was in the library finishing up homework."

"Oh yeah, you've got your O.W.L.s this year. How's that coming along? Aha! Some ice cream!" Harry exclaimed as he dove inside one of the cupboards.

"It's fine. The professors have given us a few more assignments. Here's some cookies."

"A few more assignments?" he asked her, holding a small tub of Florean Fortescue's no-melt French vanilla ice cream.

"Well, I just know how to manage my time well, without any magical aids. I guess we should use spoons." Luna replied, as she conjured two spoons with her wand.

"Wow, that's impressive. Vanishing is much easier than conjuring, and we just started vanishing last year." Harry informed her, before digging whole-heartedly into the tub. She joined him, as her stomach had started to growl in protest ages ago.

About half an hour later (and even later after curfew), Harry was saying good night to her at the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.

"You know, I think I had too much ice cream."

"Have a good sleep and you'll feel better when you wake up. I guess I'll see you later, then. Oh, and by the way you've got a blob of ice cream hanging off the end of your nose." Luna replied, smiling slightly as she stated the password to the suit of armour, which disappeared into the floor, revealing a passageway behind it that she disappeared into, as Harry frowned at his reflection in a shiny shield mounted on the wall nearby.

Two days later, Harry and Luna were in the Library trying to finish up the last of their homework before Monday. Harry was feverishly writing out an essay for Transfiguration, and Luna was doing research for Charms. She was skimming through the indexes of a few books when Ron came stomping in. He threw himself onto the chair next to Harry, and dropped his bag on the ground, then proceeded to bang his head on their table.

"Bloody swot… responsibilities… bunch of rubbish…"

"Sorry Ron, but I've got to get this essay done. Can you stop hitting your head? Ah! I forgot to get the name of that book I used for this reference… McGonnagall's really cracking down on plagiarising this year. Be right back." Harry rambled as he got up from the table and sought out Madam Pince to see if she hadn't re-shelved his book yet.

Luna continued to check her books for any useful information, and Ron stared at her.

"She's meeting Vicky in Hogsmeade next week. I overheard her tell Ginny. Why she wants to see that Bulgarian git is beyond me."

She was slightly startled that he was actually talking to her in a civilised manner. Luna didn't need any input as to who 'she' was. Of course he'd talk about Hermione. He was obsessed with her. A pang of hurt washed over her for a second, but then she recovered.

"Why were you eavesdropping on their conversation?" Luna managed to ask. Apparently, he had some problems with trust.

"I wasn't. I was trying to concentrate on my homework, for once. They were sitting nearby and the common room was quiet. Ugh! Practically everyone goes to Hogsmeade with dates now."

She didn't believe him for one second. Ron paused, and looked at her intensely for a few seconds for continuing, "Luna… are you going to Hogsmeade next week end?"

She looked up from her book about bouncing toadstools. Her heart began to beat faster. "Yes, why?"

"Would you like to go with me?"

Luna's heart fluttered slightly. Then, she realised why he was asking her and her heart sank.

"No, thank you Ronald."

"I thought you liked me."

Luna's chest constricted. "I do, but I'd rather go with you if it was because you genuinely wanted to spend time with me. I don't want to go with you because you want to get back at Hermione, because you know how much I get on her nerves. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find another book…" with that, she left him sitting there with his mouth hanging open.

She went into an aisle where she'd be out of his view and put her head in her hands. A minute later, she heard someone talking to her.

"Now that Voldemort doesn't have the Ministry to hide behind, we should really start up the D.A. again. Those of us who're still at Hogwarts are planning on meeting up for a bit in The Three Broomsticks next weekend. A bunch of us will be going together. You're welcome to join us." Luna looked up and saw Harry standing there, leaning on one of the shelves.

"I'll join you in The Three Broomsticks, but I have some errands to run with the rest of the time. It's best if I go by myself, as I have quite a lot to do. It's my father's birthday next month, and there won't be another Hogsmeade weekend before then. I have to make all the arrangements now. Thank you anyway," she replied, trying her best to look her usual dreamy self.

"I didn't ask you out of pity, you know." He told her as he uncrossed his arms.

She smiled at him. "I know, and I appreciate that." She had seen the pity in his expression the year before, when she told him about having her things taken by other students. There was none of it there now, just a lingering sadness that continually dulled his bright green eyes. "Are we all supposed to meet at a certain time?"

"Well… I think it'll probably be before dinnertime. The Headmaster _and_ the Ministry approve of us now, so if you know of anyone who should joining, don't hesitate to tell them to come."

"Have you asked the professors to mention it to their classes? Maybe that would be a good way of getting the word out. Well… that is if people pay attention. It'd have to be on Tuesday, so that they've recovered from the weekend but haven't become totally occupied with Hogsmeade yet." She replied, not really wanting to admit that no one would go if she suggested it to them.

"That's a good idea, but I think I'll leave harassing the teachers to Hermione." He said, sighing. "I suppose I still have to finish that essay." Harry stood up straight, but still looked rather dejected at the prospect of more homework as he walked back to their table with Luna right behind him. Ron and his bag were nowhere to be seen, so they both continued to work on their assignments in peace.

As it turned out, Mr. Filch hadn't put up any alarms the first day that Draco and Luna had had detention. He had made sure to have them put up the next day, so as to deter them from skiving off early. They had both received another week of detention as a result.

After Luna finished her assignment for Charms in the Library with Harry, she realised that she was going to be late for detention, so she took out her wand, and whispered the spell to create a shortcut through the castle. "_Munius_!" Since Hogwarts had opened, it had secretly been passed on to every member of her House. Rowena Ravenclaw had designed the school and had wanted to give her House a slight advantage over the other students. The shortcut would only last for as long as she was inside it, though. Although sometimes she wondered that if her Housemates had got to know her before their first day, if she would have been clued in about it at all…

She popped out of the wall behind a tapestry, and pulled it away to reveal the corridor with Mr. Filch's office. Both Draco and the caretaker were already standing there, with the latter looking at his watch with an almost gleeful expression on her face. She could hear him mutter "ten… nine… eight…" as she approached them.

"Good evening," she greeted them, and they both jumped at the sound of her voice. The happy look on Mr. Filch's face disappeared when he saw her. He shoved his watch back into his pocket, and took out a ring of keys whilst grumbling under his breath about something along the lines of someone spoiling his fun by being on time. He opened the door, and waited for them to go inside.

"The chains and shackles need oiling and cleaning. I want all of them done tonight. The oil and rags are on my desk," he explained before closing the door on them. Luna could hear the clicking of the lock in the door. She suddenly felt slightly claustrophobic, and decided to start working to keep her mind off things. She went over to the desk and picked up a rag and started to dip it into the oil. Luna heard the clank of a chain behind her, and she guessed Draco had come to the same decision. When she turned around, she found Draco right behind her, staring in disgust at the pair of shackles he had in his hands.

"Ugh! I think there's essence of fish guts on these. I refuse to clean them, and get my hands dirty," he announced.

"That's nice," she told him as she handed him the rag she had been holding and turned back to the desk to get another.

"I don't see why the House Elves can't do this sort of thing. It's disgusting. Why can't we just write lines or recite chapters from our texts or something like that? This is cruel and unnecessary punishment," Draco complained as he ran the rag along the chain as lightly as possible.

"I'm surprised you're not used to cruel and unusual punishment. After all those things used to torture people you've got at your manor."

He laughed slightly. "What stuff used to torture people besides my father?"

She turned back towards him, and studied him for a bit before answering; "I take it back. I'm not surprised. Your mother cares about you a great deal."

He looked up from the chain he was swatting at with his rag. "What does that have to do with it?"

Luna just smiled at him, not really wanting to reply. When she saw how he was cleaning, she let out a sigh. They were never going to get done at this rate, if he just took swipes at them. Mr. Filch probably wanted them to be sparkling after they finished. She grabbed his hand and forced him to scrub the chain for a few seconds before he jerked his hand away.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Teaching you how to scrub it properly, so we can get out of here faster. You'll never finish polishing it the way you're doing it," Luna explained serenely and reached out for his hand again, "See, it's like this-" she managed to say before he yanked his hand back again.

"You've got oil, grease and dust on your hands. Do _not_ touch me," Draco said rather disdainfully.

Luna decided to let him be for a little while, and turned her attention on getting another chain down from the ceiling without it crashing down on her head. She was so preoccupied with her task that it took a few seconds to register that Draco was talking.

"… Not that I blame you, but why did you turn down the Weasel? I thought you had a thing for him."

"Who I have a thing for is none of your business, Draco Malfoy."

"I was there in the library when it happened," he continued, completely oblivious to her, "I went up to him and asked him how it felt to be turned down not only by a part Veela, but the Mudblood and the school Loon. Weasel didn't like it too much, he tried to hex me but Madam Pince came and chucked him out. You should have seen the look on his face, Lovegood!"

"Ow," Luna whispered. She had been scrubbing a shackle a little too hard and nicked herself on it somehow. Draco was still talking behind her, but this time she was the one ignoring him. There seemed to be an awful amount of blood coming out of the wound for such a little scratch. Her vision blurred slightly, which she supposed, was due to tears of pain welling up in her eyes.

"Please be quiet, Draco."

"Aha! Something else that'll get a reaction out of you! Insulting the filthy Weasel. I knew-"

"Draco, _please_ be quiet. I need to think…" Luna said thickly, just as it got a lot more difficult to do so. Her head had begun to swim, and she lost her balance, toppling onto the floor. She accidentally took Draco down with her, and heard him make noises of protest… or pain. There was something beneath her, but she couldn't figure out if it was Draco or the chains they had been working on. Odd… she didn't remember putting on red robes. In fact, she didn't own any red robes… After a few seconds she realised that it was blood before her vision went black, and she could really panic.

Luna's Notes: Draco was quite rude again in this chapter, wasn't he?

Draco's Notes: Once again, I was not rude! Some people just had a better upbringing than others did, so something that is rude to them may not be to someone of a higher standing. I hope you bleed to death, Lovegood!

Jade's Notes: Now, now. Is that anyway to speak to your 'co-star', Draco? You still have a great many (yet to be determined) chapters to go, plus that little thing called a romance. ;) We're all looking forward to that, especially the snogging scenes. Grins. Thanks again, to my beta Jesabelle, and my muse (for the longest chapter yet).

Munius is taken from the Latin _munio_ (to build a road). _Trisana_ is the name of the weather witch from Tamora Pierce's books, but _Eulalia_ wasn't taken from the Redwall books (it's actually part of someone's name that I know).

Sorry about the delay, as I've had this chapter done for two months, but I've had to deal with some major technical problems before I could get it up. :(


	6. Wraith

**Chapter 5 – "Wraith"**

He stared at her grave. It was so plain compared to all the other Malfoy graves. It was like everyone except him had been ashamed of her. He loved her. Draco bent down and ran his fingers over her name. Trisana Malfoy was the only person who truly understood him. She had died two years before going to Hogwarts, but he knew she would have been in Slytherin. That was why he put a green rose on her tombstone every time he visited. However, this time the rose was different - it sparkled. After further inspecting, he realised it was made of a pale green stone. If he didn't know better, he'd say it was jade. He stood there admiring its beauty until it grew dark, and realising that it was time to take his leave, he turned around. It wasn't until that moment Draco realised why it was so dark. The graveyard was usually lit by another tombstone. He had studied it too, curious as to how it continued to glow and the planets were always in the same position as the real heavenly bodies they represented. Someone had told him that the daughter of the woman who was buried there had done it. For some reason, he couldn't recall the name of either witch. It bothered him. He knew it was important. The soft light that usually graced the area was so dim that he could barely see his hand in front of his face.

"Ow!" Draco had pricked his finger on the stone rose. He went to set the wondrous blossom on Trisana's grave, but fell to the ground himself as dizziness overtook him. He must have hit his head on his cousin's grave, because when he began to come to he felt his skull aching and temples throbbing. He groaned. What he wouldn't give to be back at Hogwarts in the Hospital wing…

Then it dawned on him. He _was_ in the Hospital wing. The sky outside a nearby window was a light grey, because the sun was rising. He pulled the stiff white covers over his head and was about to be reclaimed by his dreams when someone yanked them off him. In a flash, he summoned up his indignation and self-righteousness and opened his eyes, about to tell whomever it was off for disturbing him when he found a pair of calm blue eyes studying him intently. Oh Merlin, why was Dumbledore here?

Draco racked his brain trying to think of what he did, and realised the last thing he could remember was arguing with that weird Ravenclaw. If she had hexed him into this bed, he'd tell his father. But then, his father was in Azkaban. Damnit! Why did his father have to be a bloody Death Eater? It made things bloody inconvenient, especially when Draco was trying to lord his father's power over the other students.

"Good morning, Draco," Dumbledore said as he took a seat in a chair next to his bed. He placed his long fingertips together in front of his face and began once again to study the younger wizard.

The Headmaster's gaze made Draco felt like his soul was completely exposed, which was how he felt whenever Lovegood looked at him with those abnormally protuberant and pale eyes of hers. Dumbledore's attention made him want to squirm, but the pain in his head was blinding so he stayed put.

"I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will be along shortly to shoo me away and give you a potion to clear your head. You had a rather nasty cut on the back of your skull. I was wondering if you could help me with something first, do you know who this belongs to?"

Draco looked up and saw Dumbledore holding a stone rose in his hand. He recognized it, but couldn't say where he had seen it before. His feeling of forgetting crucial information was strangely familiar He reached for the stem, careful not to snag his hand on one of the thorns, which he knew were sharp, but couldn't say how he knew. It looked like the type of rose he'd put on Trisana's grave except that it was stone. Malachite? No… jade, definitely.

"I've seen it before," he said as much to himself as to Dumbledore. The pain from his wound grew, and he dropped the rose onto the bed as he reached up to hold his head.

"It was found lying next to the two of you in Mr. Filch's office, so if it's not yours, then it must be Miss Lovegood's. Very well. Lie down and rest, Mr. Malfoy," the other wizard told him as he stood up. Draco looked up, his eyes watering. That had been the first time someone other than a servant had called him Mister Malfoy. The Headmaster must have had some respect for him, even after everything Lucius had done.

* * *

Over the next few days, most of the students broke into whispers and gave him a wide berth as he walked past them or entered a room. It had been the same when they thought him to be the heir of Slytherin back in his second year. It had been amusing and pleasing at first, as he was finally receiving the respect and instilling the fear that a Malfoy should. However, after about three days though got a little lonely - everyone but Crabbe and Goyle believed he had attacked that Lovegood girl! What's more, the only reason Crabbe and Goyle didn't believe it was simply because they were too thick to notice. Bloody morons. 

He couldn't remember anything but bickering with Lovegood that night, and told Snape as much when he questioned him as his Head of House. Draco knew that the Potions Master secretly approved of hexing people from other Houses, but unfortunately sent a letter to his mother anyway, detailing what he may or may not have done to the Ravenclaw. He let everyone believe their assumptions about him, because it let him get caught up on the homework he hadn't been able to do while in detention.

* * *

Luna heard her mother humming. She twirled around, and saw the older woman beckoning to her. Luna followed her through the Triwizard maze like usual. Whenever she had dreamt of this before, it looked like everything was in a haze, but this time everything was crystal clear. Luna stepped forward to follow Diana, and to her amazement, the veil got closer instead of farther away. She took another step and another until she was close enough to hear the whispers again. She reached out her hand to brace herself on the side column holding up the veil, when a gust of wind knocked her back. The Ravenclaw crouched down; twigs and leaves from the hedges that made up the maze were flying everywhere, blinding her. She glanced up to where the veil had been mere moments before, only to find that it had vanished. Luna shivered, her bare skin whipped by the icy air. She tried to run out of the maze, but sharp flying debris shredded her nightgown. She crawled into a corner and huddled there, trying to shelter herself. 

She felt someone's eyes on her. She knew it was pointless to try to yell to the other person (wherever they were); the wind would just carry her voice away. Instead, she waited patiently until she could see the outline of the other person. He or she began to speak.

"I don't know why I got stuck here with her, I'm missing Charms Club."

Luna slowly opened her eyes, partially due to how heavy they felt, and partially due to the brilliant afternoon sun streaming in through a nearby window. Odd… she didn't remember there being so many beds in the dorm room, and why were none of the blankets blue? She thought thickly, as her eyes adjusted.

The Ravenclaw turned her attention to the person sitting in a chair next to her bed, engrossed in _Young Witch_, her legs crossed and the top foot tapping impatiently. Her long dark plait was visible dangling down the back of the chair.

Had Luna not been so sore, she would have quirked an eyebrow. How and why had Padma Patil been coerced into watching over her? She could tell the other girl didn't want to be there, even through her grogginess.

"Wha donyu eaveem fine?"

"Pardon? I was reading about the lead singer from the Weird Sisters and…" Padma trailed off, after realising who it was that had spoken. She lowered the magazine and Luna saw the slightly stunned look on her face.

"You're awake?"

"As far as I know."

In a blink, Padma had dashed off for Madam Pomfrey and the matron of the Hospital Wing came bustling over to check her vitals. After doing that, she forced Luna to choke down a thick potion that slowly slid down her parched throat. Immediately after swallowing it, much of her aching subsided and she managed to sit up.

"That potion will make you fall asleep in about ten minutes, so your friend here will only be allowed to stay until then," she announced before leaving.

Padma grabbed her magazine and checked the time with a frown on her face.

"Don't worry, you'll still be able to go to Charms Club," Luna told her, trying to be reassuring. Instead, Padma looked a little sheepish and sat down.

"It's alright; they'll just be bickering about what cosmetic charm to try next. Anyway, you probably want to know what happened. What can you remember from Sunday night?"

Luna racked her brain. "Sitting in the Library with Harry and Ron…"

Padma leaned in and whispered, "So is it true you're dating Ron now?"

"No. I turned him down," she replied, trying not to sound miserable.

The older girl leaned back in her seat, looking thoughtful. "Wish I had done that. Almost ruined my Yule Ball, that prat did."

"So why were you watching over me?" Luna asked, trying not to sound thankless.

"Members of the D.A. were taking it in turns. So, is it true that he wanted to go out with you just to make Hermione jealous?" Padma inquired, turning the subject over to something Luna didn't want to discuss with anyone.

"I don't know. Why am I here? What happened?"

"Well, you had detention with Malfoy, and all we know is that Filch had you doing cleaning in his office, and when he came back to check on you, both of you were out cold on the floor. Malfoy woke up a few hours later, but claimed he didn't know what happened. We've been all waiting for you to wake up so you could tell us what happened with Ron… I mean Malfoy. So what did happen?"

"I'm not sure. I just remember being on my way to the detention."

"So did Ron get someone to ask you out?"

"No. He asked me himself," Luna replied. The sparkle of curiosity and interest in Padma's cinnamon eyes died. He had been so romantic and eloquent with his question too…

"She's meeting Vicky in Hogsmeade next week. I overheard her tell Ginny. Why she wants to see that Bulgarian git is beyond me."

"Why were you eavesdropping on their conversation?"

_  
"I wasn't. I was trying to concentrate on my homework, for once. They were sitting nearby and the common room was quiet. Ugh! Practically everyone goes to Hogsmeade with dates now."_

_"Luna… are you going to Hogsmeade next week end?"_

_"Yes, why?"_

_"Would you like to go with me?"  
_

"_No, thank you Ronald."_

_"I thought you liked me."_

_"I do, but I'd rather go with you if it was because you genuinely wanted to spend time with me. I don't want to go with you because you just want to get back at Hermione. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find another book…"_

Luna shook her head, which began to swim. Before she could tell Padma that the ten minutes were up and she was about to fall asleep, she was already out like a flash.

* * *

As it turned out, Luna had to stay in the Hospital Wing until Friday afternoon, having spent almost five days there. She hadn't seen many people since she had first awoken. Thankfully, the last class of the day was still going on, so she headed to Ravenclaw Tower before the halls would be packed with people who would no longer ignore her. It was so much easier when nobody paid her any attention than when people went out of their way to avoid or harass her. The walk took her a while, as her muscles and bones protested to being used after such a nice rest. Once she finally reached the suit of armour that marked the entrance to the dorm, she told it the password. Thankfully, it hadn't been changed since the weekend. The armour sank down in the floor (along with the piece of wall behind it), allowing her passage into a corridor that had not been visible moments before. 

As she came near, the torches lit themselves. After a couple twists and turns, Luna came to a short, spiral staircase. Finally, she walked into a room even taller than the Great Hall. An underwater scene had been charmed onto the ceiling. Dolphins were doing a sort of underwater ballet in one corner of it. Two walls in the room were charmed to be an oceanic blue, while the others were lined with thousands of books. The chairs were a darker shade of blue, and the tables a nicely finished dark wood, all of which were useful and practical A bronze statue of an eagle on a rocky crag was centred in the room. There were several corridors branching off of the common room. Luna drifted over to a bookshelf, pulled out a large tome, and hid behind it in one of the chairs. She knew better than to take refuge in her dorm room, as her classmates would be back soon and they'd somehow manage to corner her and make her spill every bit of gossip and personal information out of her. At least in the common room she could attempt an escape if necessary. Before she could lose herself in the book's pages, a wave of loneliness washed over her, and she held her eyes open wide to stop the tears from coursing down her cheeks. She knew it made her look like her eyes were bugging out when she did so, but she didn't care. She wouldn't let them see her cry ever again.

* * *

Luna pulled the list of things she had to get for her father's birthday out of her nightstand, and walked serenely down to the village of Hogsmeade. She was only vaguely aware of the other students pointing at her. The first stop on her list was Scrivenshaft's shop for Ever-Inked Quills. 

After she had everything on her list, Luna headed to the Three Broomsticks to join the other member of the D.A. She somehow managed to manoeuvre through the crowded pub with five large parcels, two bags, and a gilly water (probably because everyone went quite still when she came through the door. She set down all her purchases without dropping, breaking, exploding or spilling anything. Thankfully, Harry had told the D.A. not to pester her with questions about her accident (or whatever it was). Unfortunately, that didn't stop other people from opening their gobs.

"What's the matter Weasley, don't want to help your sick girlfriend?" some loud student asked Ron. Ron's reaction was to go from pink, to red, to a nasty shade of puce in two seconds flat. A certain bushy brunette pursed her lips.

"I'm not ill, and he's not my boyfriend," Luna announced quietly.

"Not unless you put him under one of those Entrancing Charms you were reading up on, Lovegood. Why don't you just go back to Longbottom, I'm sure he'll have you even if no one else will. It's not like either of you have any reason to be choosy," Pansy Parkinson replied.

"Shut up, Pansy!" Neville and Ginny said in unison.

Pansy was about to reply, when Draco placed a hand on her shoulder to shush her.

"You'd just love it if all of us Slytherins permanently put a cork in it, wouldn't you? You claim you want inter-House unity, but I don't see any Slytherins in your little group. It's all Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. You're all talk, aren't you? Especially you, Granger. You and your incredibly annoying whinging on about House Elves and slavery, but I don't see you making a fuss about obtaining your education at the school which has more House Elves than any other British dwelling. You're a bunch of hypocrites," he declared so everyone could hear him.

Luna knew what he had just said about the members of the D.A. not wanting Slytherins to join was absolutely true. Perhaps when he had fallen and hit his head, he had some sense knocked into him. But then, Madam Pomfrey would be able to notice something as drastic as _that_. That thought caused her to giggle, and the gilly water that she had been in the process of swallowing came back up her throat. Bringing a serviette up to her mouth to cover her coughing and sputtering, she tried her best not to draw any more attention to herself.

Even through her wincing eyes, she saw Draco study her intensely for a few moments. What emotion was in his eyes? Guilt? Concern? Disgust? Before she could truly decipher his expression, he stood up, put on his cloak and left the pub. She was surprised that the argument between him and Ron hadn't continued. Harry and Hermione managed to force Ron back into his chair instead of running after Draco, and gradually conversations started up again around the room as she retreated behind a book on Nargles.

She overhead someone say that Draco should be locked up alongside his father in Azkaban, but she thought that wasn't right. He hadn't done anything horrible enough to be placed there. She couldn't remember what happened in their last detention together, and apparently neither could he, so what was to say that he did anything? Luna had a gut feeling that Draco hadn't done anything to hurt her so badly that she would be unconscious for four days.

Generally speaking, she enjoyed being in such a crowded and busy space. She could learn what everyone was up to, while everyone thought she had her head in the clouds and her nose in a book or magazine. She listened to several conversations at once, and closed her eyes so she could hear them better.

"…You know how hard it is to make a decent love potion nowadays? I'm going to complain to the ministry that Ashwinder eggs be put back on the Tradable Goods List…" one middle-aged witch told her friend at the bar. Luna recognized her as owning a dating service that was regularly advertised in _Witch Weekly_, and let a dreamy smile drift across her face.

"…I heard that some Hufflepuff last year went into hysterics because of the O.W.L.s. I'm not planning on sleeping. Maybe there's a potion that'll keep me awake for the whole two weeks…"

"…Zacharias told me someone in Slytherin said Malfoy used a Confundus Charm and a Hallucination Hex on her. Pity she couldn't have stayed in the Hospital Wing longer. It was nice not having that lunatic in class all week..."

Luna knew who the speaker was without even looking. It was Michael Corner. In a flash, she was back at the last Hogwarts Quidditch match she had been at.

_Ginny had just caught the snitch right in front of Cho's face. Luna had felt immense disappointment. Ravenclaw hadn't won against Gryffindor since she had come to Hogwarts. If anyone had to win, she was glad it was Ron. He deserved some recognition for once. She watched him being held up by his Housemates, all singing their own version of "Weasley Is Our King" pass by her. It was only then that she noticed a row going on near one of the exits to the stands._

_"I'm terribly sorry that I played a good game of Quidditch! I apologize for my brother, because he managed to save some goals today! I'll just call Madam Hooch over and ask for a rematch, shall I?" she overheard the youngest Weasley yelling at someone._

_"Stop acting so juvenile, I just don't think you should gloat about it…"_

_"Why don't you get off your high horse for once? I wasn't gloating! I was excited because I finally showed my family that Charlie and the twins weren't the only ones good at Quidditch! I never once said that Gryffindor was better than Ravenclaw or anything like that!"_

_"Humph. Couldn't you have at least gone easy on Cho? She's had a rough time this last year!" Michael spat back at his girlfriend._

_"Rough? Since when is dating a Hogwarts champion, then having him die, then going after Harry the next chance she got, snogging him, then dumping him the second he disagrees with her rough? Shouldn't you say that Ron and I have had a rough year, with out dad being in St. Mungo's and everything?"_

_"I was wondering when you were going to mention him. Saint Potter, can't possibly top him in anyway in your eyes. As for your father being hospitalised, I know that was just an excuse that you used so you could spend Christmas with Potter, instead of your boyfriend. Why don't you just go and snog Potter like I know you're dying to?"_

_"Why don't you just go and snog Cho, like I know _you're_ dying to?" Ginny replied with a dangerous snarl in her voice._

"Someone's_ got to comfort her," he replied coldly before leaving._

_Luna heard a scream of frustrations, then observed a broomstick hurtle out onto the pitch apparently from being thrown in anger. She made a mental note to never give Ginny Weasley any reason to become cross at her, as she rose from her seat in the Quidditch stands and began to make her way back to the castle._

Luna took a sip of her drink, and glanced at Ginny. The other girl was giving her ex-boyfriend the look of death. Not quite sure whether it was lingering resentment from the fight she had witnessed, or renewed rage at what he had just said, her heart felt lighter than it had all day at the thought of someone other than her father becoming angry on her behalf.

Hermione clanked a spoon on her butter beer mug and stood up, taking people's attention away from the nasty remarks being made. Luna listened to her drone on, and looked over all the people who had arrived. On the other side of Hermione, Ron was silently fuming next to an equally furious looking Ginny. Dean Thomas, Ginny's new boyfriend, appeared to be completely engrossed in a drawing. Next to him, Seamus Finnigan was admiring the view, and not Dean's doodle. Neville, Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, Eloise Midgeon, Terry Boot, and Katie Bell were intently listening. Padma, Parvati Patil, and Lavendar Brown took turns reading _Young Witch_ and listening. Zacharias Smith was still there, although she had no clue as to why he'd continue to be a part of a group in which he couldn't stand anyone. There were several more additions, of people she knew by face and not name (mostly because they were younger than her). As Luna looked around at the members of the D.A., she noticed once again that there were indeed no Slytherins. Maybe Draco was right, and they were all hypocrites.

* * *

Draco hadn't noticed the Loon at breakfast that morning, as he had been busy reading a note from his mum. He had noticed her on the main street of Hogsmeade, when she had almost walked right into him, her nose nearly touching the piece of parchment she was holding. He didn't know what frustrated him more: the fact that she hadn't even acknowledged his presence, that as a witch from a relatively well-off family she purchased robes from Gladrags (the shop that she entered after ignoring him), or that she wasn't paranoid and afraid of him like she should be if he had hexed her so badly. 

He was listening to Nott go on about the Ministry's investigation of some attack on Muggles. Nott wasn't giving them any information that wasn't in the Prophet, and Draco found it extremely boring. He let his mind wander, not caring about the conversation at his table.

He saw Lovegood and her tottering pile of parcels, which almost toppled over when she opened the door to the Three Broomsticks. Pansy, sitting next to him, also found the talk at table to be quite dull, and followed his gaze. He watched her eyes narrow as she too watched as the Ravenclaw plopped her things down at a table, and none of the so-called chivalrous Gryffindors offered to help her. In fact, he noticed a certain Weasley pointedly ignoring Lovegood, and Granger looking irate.

"What's the matter Weasley, don't want to help your sick girlfriend?" some loud student asked Weasley. Weasley's reaction was to turn an even more hideous shade of red than his hair, which was saying something.

"I'm not ill, and he's not my boyfriend." Lovegood announced quietly.

"Not unless you put him under one of those Entrancing Charms you were reading up on, Lovegood. Why don't you just go back to Longbottom, I'm sure he'll have you even if no one else will. It's not like either of you have any reason to be choosy." Pansy replied.

"Shut up, Pansy!" Longbottom and the female Weasley said in unison.

Ugh! They had no sense of decorum, did they? Pansy was about to reply, when Draco placed a hand on her shoulder to shush her. He didn't want her to stoop to their level. He puffed himself up as much as possible before replying himself.

"You'd all just love it if all of us Slytherins just put a cork in it, wouldn't you? You claim you want inter-House unity, but I don't see any Slytherins in your little group. It's all Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. You're all talk, aren't you? Especially you, Granger. You and your incredibly annoying whinging on about House Elves and slavery, but I don't see you making a fuss about obtaining your education at the school which has more House Elves than any other British dwelling. You're a bunch of hypocrites," he declared so everyone could hear him.

He saw Lovegood look distant for a moment, whilst sipping on her drink, and then she began to giggle for some bizarre reason. She brought a serviette up to her mouth to cover her coughing and sputtering. At least she knew to act like a lady… Lovegood's eyes met his for a moment, and he could tell she was in pain. Was it because of what he had done a few days before, or was it something else? Why should he care about her? Why was he taking such an interest in her? Not wanting to stay there any longer, he got up and left the pub.

The cold air bombarded his exposed face and hands once he walked outside. He had left his gloves and scarf up at the castle, and regretted it now. Winter had come early, and he hated it. Everything was so lifeless and frigid.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch._

He heard the sound of someone walking up to him in the newly fallen snow.

"Why didn't you ask me to come with you? I wanted to get away from Theodore; he's such a bore. I had to sit through five more minutes of him hashing out old news. Why don't we go to Honeydukes? They've got a sale on Strawberry Crème Chocolates," Pansy said, all in one breath.

Draco hated chocolate and fruit together. "No, I think I'll just go back to the castle. I forgot my gloves and scarf."

"Oh! Why didn't you say something? Here, you can have mine, I'm too warm anyway," Pansy told him, beginning to unwrap her ungodly green scarf from around her neck. He'd rather freeze to death than be caught dead wearing that hideous thing.

"That's alright, why don't you go and get some chocolate? I'll go back and find those books we need for McGonagall's essay. We can eat the chocolate and do the essay. It'd make it a bit more bearable." Damnit! Why'd he say he'd eat them? Perhaps eating nasty sweets was better than wearing that scarf. At least afterwards he'd be able to cleanse his palette from the sweets.

Pansy agreed to his plan, and set off bouncily to Honeydukes. He rolled his eyes. She was way too perky when he was around. He knew quite well that it was all an act for him. She could continue on with the act for all he cared, as it wouldn't get her anywhere. She just made herself way too _available, _which was always nice if he wanted a quick snog every now and then, but wasn't something he particularly liked.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch._

He whipped around to tell Pansy off for not going to Honeydukes, when he saw a certain dreamy Ravenclaw happily crunching the snow as she made her way over to him. She had her parcels floating ahead of her.

"I thought you'd send her off. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I've finally realised that we're both like Thestrals."

He blinked. Huh? "Pardon me?"

"We're like Thestrals. People either see us for who we are, or not. If not, then we may as well be invisible. If they do see us, they view it as a horrible thing. We really can't win," she told him.

"Can't you compare me to something or someone pleasant? First it was that Dwarf singer, now a Thestral. What next? A Blast-Ended Skrewt?" Draco asked her, and she broke into a fit of giggles again, and hid behind a copy of The Quibbler. People were supposed to look you in the eye if you were talking. He reached over and ripped the magazine from her grasp, and impatiently waited until she sobered. She clutched her sides and breathed raggedly.

"You're absolutely crazy," he informed her.

Sobering slightly, Lovegood gasped, "I'm just as sane as you are, Draco." She paused momentarily before continuing, "Join us."

The Crazy Club? Then he realised who "us" was. She wanted him to join Dumbledore's Army. His initial reaction was to scoff at her, but then he thought something that was intriguing. He could hex any of the golden trio, or the Gryffindors. legitimately in this club or whatever it was, and none of them could say anything about it. He smirked to himself.

"You know Lovegood; I think I will join your little club just as long as I don't have to wear a 'Potter for President' badge."

She smiled, and said, "I knew that someone just had to ask, and a Slytherin would join us. You can prove to them that you're not all evil gits."

"I thought you changed your mind, and I _was_ a git."

Her smile got even dreamier, "I still think you're a git, but a likeable one. As for being evil, you haven't done enough horrible things to truly be considered that… I don't remember what happened in our last detention, but I also don't believe that you were the one that hurt me," she informed him as she tried to reach her magazine, which he kept just above her outstretched arm.

At her last words, he froze. Did she just say he was a likeable git? What was wrong with her? They had been arguing every time they saw each other, actually duelled in the corridor, and he had apparently almost killed her six days before. Her brain must have been damaged somehow…

"I have not gone batty. Madam Pomfrey checked me thoroughly; my thought processes haven't been changed in any way."

Draco was about to tell her he thought otherwise, when she stepped forward, gave his hand a squeeze, whispered "you're welcome" in his ear before drifting up the path to the castle. He stood there, perplexed. What should he be thanking her for? He looked down at the hand she had squeezed, and saw that a pair of exquisite gloves was on his hands. At least she had some taste. Then he realised he was still holding _The Quibbler_, and decided he needed to change her reading material. At least it wasn't that magazine for immature witches, _Young Witch_. He went into a shop and bought the latest copy of _Witch Weekly_, and decided to give it to her the next time he saw her, not realising what had just occurred.

* * *

A/N I: Thanks to my beta, jesabelle as always. 

A/N II: Why Luna passed out will be explained in the next chapter. Please let me know if everything was explained well in this chapter (like what went on after Luna passed out), or if there were parts of OoC-ness.

A/N III: Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews... Sorry this chapter is seven months late. I had to deal with a major writers block, 33 re-writes, and technical difficulties (losing what I _had_ written when I switched computers). The next one will be easy and fun to write, so hopefully I'll get that one out more promptly than this one.

A/N IV: I will continue to write this fic after I get HBP, so I'll just update it with all the new info as it will start from the same place in time. 


	7. Notice

A/N: This isn't the update you've all been waiting for. It is a notice that this Pre-Half-Blood Prince version of Frozen Serenity will not be updated again. Before you flame me, just wait. I will be uploading a post-HBP version of Frozen Serenity once I have it completed in its entirety. That way, I can post a new chapter every two weeks so you all don't have to wait months and months inbetween chapters. I will be writing one-shots to tide you over until FS is updated again.

_ As for a story line that won't be making it into the new version, the chain that Luna was polishing in Chapter 5 was a Dark object. It was used in Hogsmeade for torture of Muggles during the 40's. There were a few different nasty spells on them. One is activated by a drop of blood, and would cause the person who's blood it was to believe they were bleeding to death. Another was activated by a drop of water, causing the person to believe they were drowning, etc, etc. Luna wasn't killed by it because of her magic (unlike the poor Muggles who were subjected to it). Filch knew the chain had been used for torture, but didn't know there were any spells on it (and couldn't detect them even if he wanted to). So, Luna was right about thinking that Draco didn't hex her into the Hospital Wing. Luna was going to find this out when she wrote an essay for D.A.D.A., and then she'd tell everyone, etc, etc.  
_

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far! If you have any questions email me, or leave a review. I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. :)

Jade Bear.


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